Method of separating insulation from insulated wires and cables

ABSTRACT

A method of separation and sorting of the insulation-cover from the metal core of various electric wires and cables, comprising an agitation-tank providing an impact agitating force to small cut pieces of various insulated electric wires and/or cables in the middle of the tank which is filled with a liquid, at room temperature or properly heated, and a bath filled with a particular liquid which is lighter in its specific gravity than the metal core, but heavier than the insulation-cover, enabling perfect sorting of the insulation-cover from the metal core in the middle of the bath.

United States Patent Terada 1 June 20, 1972 [54] METHOD OF SEPARATING 1 Rdm INSULATION FROM INSULATED UNflED STATES PATENTS WIRES AND CABLES 1,832,468 11/1931 McMillan et a1 .1 ..241/188 [72] Inventor: Mlnzo Terlda, Kitakatsuragi-gun, Japan 3,116,545 1/ 1964 Brown ..29/403 3,225,428 12/1965 Deitz, Jr i ..29/403 X [731 3mm! Osaka 3,448,509 6/1969 O'Reilly ..29/403 x Japan 3,480,477 11/1969 Levin ..29/403 X [22] Filed: Dec. 2, 1969 Primary ExanunerGranv1lle Y. Custer, Jr. [21] Appl. No.: 881,484 Anomey-Emest G. Montague [30] Foreign Application Priority Data [57] CT A method of separation and sorting of the insulation-cover Dec. 20, 1968 Japan ..43/93939 from the metal core f various d m wires and cables Dec. 23, 1968 Japan ..43/94369 prising an agitatiommnk providing an impact agitating force to small cut pieces of various insulated electric wires and/or [52] US. Cl ..241/27, 29/403 cables in the middle of the tank which is filled with a liquid, at [51] .3024: 13/18 room temperature or properly heated, and a bath filled with a [58] Field oi Search ..241/5, 27, 98, 188, 258, 17, particular liquid which is lighter in its specific gravity than the 241 23 24; 29 403 metal core, but heavier than the insulation-cover, enabling perfect sorting of the insulation-cover from the metal core in the middle of the bath.

1 Claim, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTEnJuuzo m2 INVENTOR MANZO TERADA ATTORNEY.

METHOD OF SEPARATING INSULATION FROM INSULATED WIRES AND CABLES DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method of separation and sorting of the insulation-cover from the metal core for various electric wires and/or cables.

A most common conventional method for a recovery of the metal core from electric insulated wires and/or cables was to burn out the wires and/or cables themselves and to collect the remnants of the metallic scraps in so doing. In the buming-out method, however, a bad smell develops from the working process, which creates a public nuisance problem, and besides there has been a deterioration in the quality of the metal cores.

For the purpose of eliminating such drawbacks of the buming-out method, many devices; i.e., various stripping machines have been introduced up to this time, which partly solved the problems. However to the contrary, in utilizing those conventional devices, a new problem has occurred; namely, in a low efficiency in the recovery of the metal cores from the electric insulated wires and/or cables.

In order to completely eliminate such drawbacks of the conventional methods, the present invention has been developed as the result of persistent study and investigations for many years by the inventor.

With these and other objects in view, which will become apparent in the following description, the present invention will be clearly understood, as disclosed by example, in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, illustrating an apparatus for providing impact agitating force to small cut pieces of various electric wires and/or cables;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view, partly in section, of a small cut piece of an electric insulated covered wire and/or cables; and

HO. 3 is an elevation in section, illustrating a particular bath enabling a perfect sorting of an insulation-cover from a metal core based on the law of specific gravity.

FIG. 1 illustrates an agitation-tank 8 being filled with a liquid, at room temperature or a liquid properly heated, serving as a high speed agitator to give an impact agitating force to small cut pieces of various electric insulated wires and/or cables.

FIG. 2 shows one example of a piece of electric insulated wire or cable which was cut into a small piece before-hand by means of a known cutting machine, available in a different pattern, size and construction in each case. When a small cut piece 1 of electric insulated wire and/or cable is thrown into the agitation-tank 8, wherein a liquid at room temperature or a liquid properly heated is filled, a motor 7 drives rotatingly an agitation shaft 6, which causes a plurality of agitation-bars S mounted around the agitation-shaft 6 to rotate. Rotation of the agitation-bars provides a uniform impact agitating force on the small cut pieces 1 of the electric insulated wires and/or cables which piecesare in the tank. In the practice of the aforesaid process, one selects such a liquid as is sufiiciently suitable to soften the substance of the insulation-cover in the respective cases; (for example, water for PVC insulationcover), and in the middle of the liquid 4, the impact agitation is to be provided for a period of approximately 2 to 3 minutes, by means of the rotation of the agitation-bars 5 on the small cut pieces 1 of the electric insulated wires and/or cables. The agitation consequently induces a softening of the insulationcover 3 just like being sodden in the liquid 4, since the liquid 4 permeates between the insulation-cover 3 and the metal core 2.

As a matter of fact, the metal core 2 does not change its physical and chemical properties in the middle of a liquid at room temperature, nor in the middle of a liquid heated to its boiling point at 100 200 C. Furthermore, even in the case an impact agitating force is provided on a small cut piece 1 of an electric insulated wire and/or cable, the metal core 2 does not absorb the impact force, while on the contrary, the insulation-cover 3 is affected largely by the agitating force,which results in the occurence of different inertial movements, respectively, between the metal core 2 and the insulationcover 3.

As, the result, a perfect separation of the insulation-cover 3 from the metal core 2 occurs.

After the insulation-cover 3 is separated from the metal core 2, there arises a necessity to sort out the former from the latter, since both still remain in mixed condition in the middle of the agitation-tank 8.

FIG.3 illustrates a bath 12 which enables the sorting of the insulation-cover 3 from the metal core 2.by throwing a mixture of them into the bath 12, which bath contains a particular liquid 11 which has a specific gravity lighter than the metal core 2 but heavier than the insulation-cover 3.

In the middle of the bath 12 of the liquid 11, the insulationcovers 3 float up, while on the other hand, the metal cores 2 deposit themselves in the bottom of the bath 12 according to the law of specific gravity.

Thus, a perfect sorting of the insulation-cover 3 from the metal core 2 is accomplished.

As described above, the present invention is not a method of utilin'ng a conventional stripping apparatus, but a method of providing an impact agitating force to small'cut pieces of electric insulated wires and/or cables in the middle of an agitation-tank, and further, the present invention includes a method of sorting the insulation-cover from the metal core basing upon the law of the specific gravity. Therefore the operational process of the apparatus of the present invention is so simplified and advanced that there is a remarkable increase in efficiency in recovering metal cores from electric insulated wires and/or cables, compared to conventional methods.

Especially, in view of the fact that the impact agitation is carried out for only a short period of time after the small cut pieces of the electric insulated wires and/or cables are thrown into the agitation-tank together with a liquid at room temperature or a liquid properly heated, the force of the impact agitation does not adversely affect the metal cores, while on the other hand, the insulation-covers absorb largely the impact agitating force, and as a consequence, there arise a large difference of inertial movement between the metal core and the insulation-cover in the middle of the agitation-tank.

That is, due to the fact that all of the small cut pieces of the electric insulated wires and/or cables which are thrown into the tank in the respective cases to receive thereon a uniform impact agitating force, all of the insulation-covers are forced to be separated, in a short period, completely from the metal cores.

Consequently, the efficiency in separating the insulationcovers from the metal cores of electric insulated wires and/or cables shows a great increase over the conventional method. Furthermore, there lies no anxiety with the present method that any deterioration of quality will occur to the metal cores.

The method of the present invention requires someone in advance to cut the electric insulated wires and/or cables into small pieces. However to the contrary, since there is no necessity in advance to classify the various electric insulated wires and/or cables according to their size, pattern and construction, as the cases utilizing conventional stripping machines, therefore, it is apparent that by the method of the present invention there is obtained an increase in the efficiency in the recovery of the metal cores from the electric insulated wires and/or cables.

Above all, when compared with the conventional method, the present invention enjoys such epoch-making advantages as summarized hereunder:

a. Increase of efficiency in recovering of the metal cores from the electric insulated wires and/or cables.

b. No public nuisance problem.

c. No deterioration in the quality of the metal cores. For purposes of the claim, wire" is hereby defined to include wire and/or cable.

inserting said plurality of small pieces in the middle of an agitation-tank filled with a liquid, and

agitating said liquid to provide an impact agitating force on said plurality of small pieces of wire, whereby the insulation covers thereof being softened and causing the removal thereof from said plurality of small pieces of wire. 

